Hammer with deflecting shield



l p-e Jan. 12, 1960 L. c. SHELTON 2,920,667

HAMMER WITH DEF'LECTING SHIELD Filed Nov. 13, 1957 es/e 0. She/to L I INVENT BY 2mm min away 15m United States Patent HAMMER WITH DEFLECTING SHIELD Leslie C. Shelton, Unionville, M0.

Application November 13, 1957, Serial No. 696,134

2 Claims. (Cl. 145-29) The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a hammer but has reference, more specifically speaking, to a hammer head having at least one shield offering the user of the hammer worthwhile protection from injury.

Injuries to carpenters, machinists and other users of hammers can often be traced to ineffectual contact of the driving or impact surface with the head of a nail. That is to say, a glancing blow of the impact surface, the skidding of the surface in relation to the nail or other fastener head, or an uncontrolled whack of the hammer head against the workpiece itself may result in flying objects and consequent injury to the user. Although occupational hazards have posed these perplexing difliculties for years on end little or nothing appears to have been done or offered as a practical solution of the problem. Obviously then, the objective in the instant matter is to provide a hammer head in which simple and eflicient shield means functions to ward off some of the hazards which might otherwise plague the user.

Although the invention cannot be said to shield the user from all possible harm, it, within reason, offers a deflecting shield which is directly cooperable with the impact surface of the hammer head whether the hammer be a carpenters claw hammer or the ball and peen hammer commonly used by machinists.

Stated more explicitly the inventive idea has been carried out satisfactorily with a ball peen hammer wherein the peen at one end and the ball at the other end have hood-like object deflecting and blow shielding means cooperable therewith.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a ball peen hammer revealing the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l and Fig. 3 is a similar section at right angles taken on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing the ball peen hammer comprises a conventional handle 4 having its outer end portion 6 connected with the bulbous-like body portion 8. The usual ball impact member or surface 10 is at one end ice and the circular flat peen surface 12 is at the other end. insofar as the protective shield is concerned, this is the same at both ends. In the circumstances it seems necessary to describe but one guard or shield and this, generally speaking, :is denoted by the numeral 14. The shield is of the utmost in simplicity and is actually an integral part of the cooperating end of the hammer head. That is to say, by enlarging the cross-section of the head gradually so that it increases in cross-section say from right to left at the peen side an enlargement 16 is had. This is caused to terminate short of the impact surface 12 and provides a lip 18. The lip, in turn, is undercut at 20 and forms an endless channel or groove. By grooving the lip a hood-like deflecting shield or guard is provided and this shield encircles the peripheral surface 22.

By providing this protective hood just back of the driving surface, or the surface of the workpiece which receives the blow or shock, the hammer thus has an obstruction to flying pieces that might hit the operator where be least expects it. Sometimes it is the hammer itself glancing ofi of the surface of a nail. In other in stances it may be the nail flying with respect to the hammer and the work. Sometimes it is simply a matter of splinters and workpiece fragments. In any event the hood constitutes a deflecting barrier and minimizes the likelihood of injury.

Although the disclosure tends to limit the concept to use in association with the end portions of a machinisttype ball peen hammer, it will be understood that other hammers, say for example a carpenters claw hammer, might be equipped with the invention.

Changes in shape, size, material and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the invention as covered in the attending claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A ball peen hammer comprising a head and a handle, said head having a flat circular impact surface of at least one end, and said head being gradually increased in crosssection and terminating in an endless lip spaced inwardly from said impact surface, said lip being undercut and providing an endless channel and defining a hood-like protection shield.

2. A hammer comprising a handle and a head at the outer end of the handle, said head having at least one end portion with a nail impacting and driving surface surrounded by an endless peripheral surface, and safe-guarding means integrally embodied in said head, spaced inwardly from said driving surface and projecting radially beyond said peripheral surface, said safe-guarding means completely circumscribing said peripheral surface and comprising a flying-object deflecting shield which is hoodlike in appearance and physical form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 723,764 Vick Mar. 24, 1903 785,921 Springer Mar. 28, 1905 968,106 Zimmerman Aug. 23, 1910 

